Attaching device



Sept. 24, 1957 w. s. HAMILTON 2,807,308

ATTACHING DEVICE Filed Sept. 23, 1953 INVENTOR. fiz mmi HfiM/Z ro/v,

7709/VEY5.

2,807,308 Patented Sept. 24, 1957 ATTACHING DEVICE William S. Hamilton, Columbus, Ind., assignor to Hamilton Manufacturing Corporation, corporation of Indiana Columbus, Ind., a

This invention relates to articles of furniture in which a flexible fabric seat is suspended from a supporting frame. The invention Will be described herein as embodied in a baby jumper, in which the seat-supporting frame is resilient or resiliently supported, but it will be understood that the invention may be applied to other articles.

it is an object of my invention to provide novel means by which a seat-forming piece of fabric or like material may be removably attached to a seat-supporting frame. Another object is to provide seat-attaching means wherein the capability of removal is effectively concealed. A further object is to provide such means by which removability is effected by simple manipulation, with no tools, and without the use of buttons, snaps, or the like; but which removability requires a more mature intelligence than that possessed by a baby.

An attaching device embodying my invention in preferred form comprises a unitary member or clip, preferably formed of metal wire or rod, having a longitudinally extending center portion provided at its ends with hooks each adapted to receive a member constituting part of a seat-supporting frame. At their ends the two hooks are provided withext-ensions which project toward each other in aligned relation. The fabric-edge to be attached to the frame is provided with a hem wide enough to permit passage through it of at least one of the hooks of the clip. To attach the fabric to the frame, it is first ap plied to the clip in such a manner that the hem embraces only the central portion of the device, the hooks are engaged with the supporting frame, and the fabric is then manipulated to bring the hook-extensions within the hem. A reverse series of operations disconnects the fabric from the frame.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of an attaching device of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of a baby jumper showing my attaching device in place;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The article shown in the drawing is a baby jumper, of a type more fully set forth in the co-pending applicatlon of Bertis F. Hamilton, Serial No. 363,781, filed June 24, 1953', and includes a base 10, side-members 12 each of which has a fore-and-aft stretch which forms a seatsupport 14, a back frame 16 carried by the side-members, and a transverse tray 18 also carried by the side-members. With such a jumper, the seat 20 is made of fabric or like pliable material, and at its rear is provided with an upwardly directed extension provided at its top with a down wardly-open pocket 22 adapted to be inserted over the back 16. At each of its sides, the seat 20 is provided with a lateral extension 24 to be supportingly connected to the seat-support 14, and the front end of the seat is provided with an extension 28 to be secured to the tray 18 to provide a crotch strap. The features so far mentioned to show the setting for my invention are described inthe afioresaid co-pending case, and form no part of the present invention.

For securing each seat side 24 to one of the seat-supporting arms 14, I fold and stitch the upper end of such side back upon itself to provide an open-ended hem 26 which extends longitudinally of the seat-side along its entire length. Oo-operating with such hem, I provide the clip indicated generally as 30. Such clip has a central, longitudinal stretch 32 of a length desirably only slightly greater than the seat sides 24, and has at each end an outturned, downwardly open hook portion 34 adapted to be hooked over the seat-supporting arms from the article with which the seat is associated. The ends of both hooks 34 are bent toward the center of stretch 32 to end in inwardly directed extensions 38 which approach each other an amountsufiicient that their ends are separated by va distance less than the length of the fabric hem 26,

whereby they will be effectively concealed by the fabric h em when the seat side is held centered by and between the out-turned hooks 34.

. In connecting the seat to the seat-supporting arms, in the manner of my invention, the central stretch 32 of theolip is inserted Within the hem leaving the extensions 38 exposed. The ho'oks 34 are then placed over the "arms 14, the arms being received in the upper portion, or b ight, of each hook, and the extensions 38 are caused to be effectively concealed within the hem by manipulating the fabric of the hem altenatively forwardly and rearwardly. As the central stretch of the clip desirably is of a length only slightly greater than the length of the seat side 24, the outturned hooks 34 will maintain a centered position of the seat-side along the central stretch 32. In this manner of seat-support, the seat-side is supported effectively all along its entire length by the central stretch 32. The book ends 38 are elfectively concealed within the hem, and bear against the fabric laterally to prevent rotation of the bracket about the seat-support 14 as the load is applied to the central stretch 32 by the weight of the occupant.

In Fig. 4, I have shown means for removably connecting the crotch strap 28 to the transverse tray 18. Such means conveniently comprises the fingers 40 shown, which are afiixed to the tray as by welds 42 and horizontally extend toward each other. The end of the crotch strap 28 is provided with a hem, similar to the seat-side hem 26, and which by lateral manipulation may be slipped over those fingers 40 to be removably supported thereby.

With the seat supporting means of my invention, the seat is firmly yet removably supported by the baby jumper, yet the appearance is such that there is little outward indication of this removability feature. Removal of the seat is readily effected merely by reversing the steps of assembly above described, and both seat-attachment and seat-detachment are effected by simple manipulative move ments of the fabric, with no tools being required.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention, I intend to cover all changes and modifications of the example herein chosen for the purpose of disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with an article of furniture having a seat and arms from which said seat may be suspended, a pliable seat-side having its upper end folded over and secured to itself below the line of said fold, a clip for connecting said upper end to one of said arms, said clip having a longitudinal central portion of substantially the same length as said fold and having at its ends outturned hook-portions overlying said article-arm, the end portions of both hooks being directed toward each other and received within the folded-over portion of said seatside, said central clip portion also being received within the folded-over portion of said seat-side.

2. In combination with an article of furniture having a seat and arms from which said seat may be suspended, a pliable seat-side having its upper end folded over and secured to itself below said fold, a clip for connecting said upper end to-one of said arms, said clip having a longitudinal central portion and having at each end thereof an out-turnedhook portion, overlying said article-arm, the end portions of both hooks being directed toward each other and received within the folded-over portion of said seat-side, said central clip-portion also being received within" the folded-over portion of said seat-side.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 wherein said clip is, formed from one continuous strip of metal rod.

4. The invention set forth in claim 2 including a crotch strap extending forwardly of said seat and removably connected to, said article, 5, In combination, a pliable member of fabric or the like provided along one edge with a hem, a frame including a' part to which the hemmed fabric-edge is to be remova-bly connected, and a clip for effecting such connection, said clip having an extended central portion located within said hem and provided beyond the ends of the hem with hooks lying generally in parallel planes perpendicular to thewcenter portion and embracing said frame/part, said hooks having at their ends extensions which project toward each other within said hem, the ends of said extensions being spaced apart a distance suflicient to permit the ex- 4 tensions, by manipulation of the fabric, to beywithdrawn one at a time from the hem, whereby thereafter the hooks may be disengaged from the frame-part.

6. In combination, a pliable member of fabric or the like provided along one edge with a hem, a frame including a part to whichthe hemmed fabric-edge is to be removably connected, and a clip for eifecting suchiconnection, said cliphaving an extended central portion located within said hem and connected at one end and beyond the hem to said frame-part, said central portion being provided at its other end and beyond the hem with a hook lying generally in a plane perpendicular to said central portion and embracing said frame-part, said hook having at its end an extension projecting into said hem but withdrawable therefrom to permit disengagement of the hook from the frame-part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 966,854 Peyton Aug. 9, 1910 1,427,219 Mabon Aug. 29, 1922 1,550,553 Macklem Aug. 18,1925 2,031,109 Kersten Feb. 18, 1936 2,347,754 Shay May 2, 1944 

